Carl Zeiss

Carl Zeiss opened his precision mechanics and optics workshop in the university town of Jena, Germany, in 1846. Initially a small operation producing simple microscopes and other optical instruments by hand, the workshop grew into one of the most important scientific instrument manufacturers in the world over the following decades.

Ernst Abbe, a physicist at the University of Jena, joined Zeiss's workshop in 1866 and developed a mathematical theory of optical imaging that enabled the production of vastly superior microscope lenses designed from scientific principles rather than trial and error. Their collaboration produced the first apochromatic lenses in 1886, which dramatically reduced color distortion and set new standards for microscopy.

Otto Schott, a glass chemist, developed new types of optical glass with precisely controlled refractive properties that were essential for manufacturing Abbe's advanced lens designs. In 1884, Schott, Abbe, and Zeiss jointly established the Jena Glassworks (Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Genossen), which produced specialized glass that gave Zeiss microscopes and camera lenses a decisive quality advantage over competitors for decades.

After World War II, the original Zeiss operations in Jena fell within the Soviet occupation zone, and key personnel were relocated by American forces to West Germany, where a new Carl Zeiss headquarters was established in Oberkochen. This resulted in two competing Zeiss companies existing simultaneously—one in East German Jena and one in West German Oberkochen—until German reunification in 1990 led to their corporate restructuring.